brussel sprouts

I personally prefer smoked over fried and roast turkey. The orange-tea smoky flavor infuses the whole bird to render even the breast meat juicy. As my father cooks at least three turkeys, each using a different cooking technique mentioned above, he’s also preparing several carb-loaded side dishes. Read more →

How do I delicately say this–without offending Dad? It’s quite awkward, because the guy is a great cook. However, everyone has an Achilles’ heel. Well… his grits might be one of the few dishes with few good memories. Who knows what went wrong. They weren’t creamy. The texture was mostly watery. I only liked them with tons of cheese to hide the taste.

Imagine my surprise, when grits became a trendy ingredient along with the raise of southern cuisine a few years ago. I initially avoided grits on menus, and wondered why any chef would serve them. Over time, I decided to give grits another try to discover a soft, creamy taste. Humbled and in love with my first true taste of properly cooked grits, I wanted to learn the proper technique to cooking them. Read more →

The original Chicken Stew, was made with thyme and parsley. This is a richer version, because I had extra rosemary, sage, and cream. The extra herbs are from the Cornish hens I’m making for Christmas. The roast brussel sprouts provided a garlic green taste, contrasting with the creamy texture. If cooking this stew for the six hours on high, the meat falls off the bone. Read more →